2002-Youve-Got-Connections

You’ve Got Connections !
Increasing Shuttle Bus Services
To The MTA RailRoads
DECEMBER 2002
Ellyn Shannon
TRANSPORTATION PLANNER
Katherine Brower
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR
Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA
347 MADISON AVENUE, NEW YORK, NY 10017

ii
Acknowledgements
This report would not have been possible without the information and
insights provided by a wide variety of people. Evelyn Lane provided
valuable core research material for the development of this report.
At Metro-North Railroad, thanks are due to Charles Zabielski, Director;
Daniel O’Connell, Assistant Director-Marketing Strategy; David Wong,
Manager-Service Development and Kent Patterson, Project Manager-
Service Development in the Department of Marketing; and Randall
Fleischer- Director; Deborah Buckley, Assistant Director-Parking and Facility
Planning; Janet Jenkins, Senior Parking Program Administrator; and
Elizabeth Rivera, Project Coordinator in the Department of Facilities and
Parking Planning.
At Long Island Rail Road, thanks go to Brian Dolan, Vice President- Market
Development and Public Affairs; Elisa Picca, Director-Strategic
Investments; Kevin Rush, Director Parking Program-Strategic Investments;
Joyce Shuman, Manager Station Access-Strategic Investments; Janet
Lewis, Director- Government and Community Affairs; Teresa Conetta,
General Manager Market Development- Public Affairs; Carl Jackson,
Market Director-Public Affairs; and Susan McGowan, Director-Corporate
Communication-Public Affairs. At Long Island Bus, thanks go to Neil Yellin,
President; and Bob Campbell, Manager-Scheduling.
Thanks also go to Diane Flanagan of Long Beach Bus, Naomi Klein of
Westchester County Department of Transportation, Mary Anne Gallagher
of Leprechaun Lines, Mark Lowen of Huntington Area Rapid Transit,
Garrett Hewlett of Suffolk County Transit, Viviana Espinosa of Housatonic
Area Rapid Transit, Sally Stocker of New Jersey Transit, and Andrew Ziegler
of Bee Line Bus.
Special thanks go to PCAC Executive Director Beverly Dolinsky for her
meticulous and thoughtful editorial assistance. Thanks also go to Long
Island Rail Road Commuter’s Council members Jim McGovern and
Barbara Josepher, Metro North Railroad Commuter Council member and
PCAC Chair Jim Blair, and New York City Transit Riders Council member
Andrew Albert for their input and editorial comments.

iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………...1
BACKGROUND……………………………………………………………3
REGIONAL POPULATION, COMMUTATION, AND RIDERSHIP
TRENDS……………………………………………………………………. 5
PARKING UTILIZATION AND DEMAND AT MTA RAILROADS……….9
METRO-NORTH RAILROAD…………………………………………………... 9
Long Island Rail Road……………………….……...…………………….... 11
FUTURE DEMAND..……………………….…………………………………...12
MITIGATING PARKING DEMAND:
SHUTTLE BUS SERVICES….……………….………………………..…….14
METRO-NORTH RAILROAD………………………………………………….16
LONG ISLAND RAIL ROAD……………………….…………………………27
NEW JERSEY TRANSIT………………………….…..………………………… 36
FACTORS OF SUCCESSFUL SHUTTLE BUS SERVICES………..……….37
RECOMMENDATIONS…………………………………..………..……..42
MTA…………………………………………..………………………………… 42
METRO-NORTH RAILROAD…………………..………………………………44
LONG ISLAND RAIL ROAD………………………..…………………………45
APPENDIX…….…………………..……………………………….………49
BREAKDOWN OF SHUTTLE BUS SERVICES BY FACTOR

1
INTRODUCTION
Metro-North Railroad (MNR) and Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) riders have
difficulty finding parking at many stations. Commuters typically arrive
earlier and walk farther to find a parking space, while discretionary riders
are left with few spaces remaining after the daily commuter rush. The lack
of available parking is one of the greatest constraints to increasing
ridership on the railroads, yet building more parking spaces is not a priority
for communities for many reasons. Land adjacent to railroad stations is
often not available. Parking structures are expensive to build, are not
always aesthetically pleasing, and those that are municipally owned result
in a loss of tax revenue. Additional parking spaces can also exacerbate
already traffic-clogged streets and highways.
A number of years ago, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)
Board earmarked $20 million to improve parking at railroad stations in
conjunction with local municipalities in an effort to minimize barriers to
ridership growth. Few localities took advantage of the program because
it meant opening up parking to everyone, not just local residents – the
percentage of MTA funds used required that the same percentage of
parking spaces be available for residents and non-residents alike. While
the policy was later updated giving the railroads greater flexibility to make
parking investments subject to Board approval, many localities chose not
to expand their parking or alternately to pay for additional parking
themselves so as to retain the spaces for residents only.
Improving bus connections to railroad stations is an effective strategy to
reduce the need for additional parking as well as to reduce the number
of vehicles on congested roadways during peak travel times. This strategy
was recommended along with the increased provision of “Kiss and Ride”
or intermodal facilities at commuter rail stations as part of the Permanent
Citizens Advisory Committee’s 2001 report, Right of Passage: Reducing
Barriers to the Use of Public Transportation in the MTA Region.
Another effective, environmentally conscious strategy encourages
passengers to ride bicycles to the station by providing sheltered racks or
individual bicycle lockers as well as safe, well lit, clearly marked and
adequately signed local routes to the station.
This report furthers the argument for the provision of shuttle bus services by
providing an overview of population, commutation and ridership trends as
well as parking conditions at New York stations served by the MTA’s Metro-
North Railroad and Long Island Rail Road. The report evaluates existing

2
peak direction, peak hour shuttle services offered to and from MNR and
LIRR stations in addition to those that serve New Jersey Transit railroads.1
County public transportation and MTA railroad station access policies are
reviewed. Findings identify factors that contribute to successful shuttle
bus operations.
Finally, the report makes agency specific recommendations for the MTA,
Metro-North Railroad, and the Long Island Rail Road, which include
advocating for shuttle bus to railroad service, improving access to rail
stations, and modifying parking policies in concert with localities. Other
recommendations seek to create working partnerships between the MTA
agencies, counties, municipalities, and bus operators; educate the public
about access to rail station issues; solicit community input; provide
community technical assistance; and increase public access to travel
information.
1 For the purpose of this report, shuttle (or “feeder”) bus service is defined as a bus route with the
primary role of transporting people to and from a railroad station. While other types of buses -
known as “long haul” – often serve railroad stations, “long haul” bus routes serve other destinations
as well and are not specifically driven by the need to serve the railroad commuter. For this reason,
“long haul” bus service was not included in the definition of shuttle bus service for this study. Given
the report’s focus on shuttles as a strategy to reduce parking demand, only shuttle bus services
that run to and from railroad stations in peak direction, morning and evening peak hours were
reviewed. Reverse commuter shuttle (or “distributor”) bus service, such as employer-operated
shuttles to corporate office parks were not examined.

3
BACKGROUND
The MTA Metro-North Railroad and Long Island Rail Road function as
critical links between Manhattan’s Central Business District and its labor
force --carrying a total of 530,000 passengers daily.
The products of differing histories and county policies, the MNR and LIRR
have similar numbers of stations (see Table 1). While the MNR extends 74
route miles farther than the LIRR, the LIRR carries 50,000 more passengers
daily than the MNR due to differing densities of development.
Table 1. Comparison of MTA’s Metro-North and Long Island Rail Roads
RAILROAD INCEPTION DAILY PASSENGERS RAIL CARS ROUTE MILES # OF STATIONS
LIRR 1834 290,000 1,060 701 124
MNR 1832* 240,000 950 775 119
*Date of original rail construction.
Founded in 1983, when the MTA assumed control of Conrail’s commuter
operations in New York and Connecticut, the Metro-North Railroad
encompasses rail lines that run north from Manhattan through the Bronx,
Westchester, Dutchess, Putnam, Rockland, Orange, Fairfield and New
Haven Counties (See Map 1).
MAP 1. Metro-North Railroad System

4
In 1965, the New York State Legislature created the Metropolitan
Commuter Transportation Authority (MCTA) as a public benefit
corporation giving it responsibility for the purchase, rehabilitation and
operation of the Long Island Rail Road, the largest commuter railroad in
the United States. The MCTA was expanded and renamed the MTA in
1968. Rail lines that make up the Long Island Rail Road run east from
Manhattan through Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk Counties2 (see
Map 2).
MAP 2. Long Island Rail Road System
Shuttle
2 Kings and Queens Counties were not considered in this report because of their extensive bus and
subway system.

5
REGIONAL POPULATION, COMMUTATION, AND
RIDERSHIP TRENDS
Population, employment, and commutation patterns in the New York
region are changing. Between 1940 and 1990, New York suburban
counties’ share of the regional population grew by 22 percent.
Employment, in conjunction with suburban population growth, grew 13
percent between 1980 and 1990, while New York suburban counties’
share of regional employment grew from 31 percent to 34 percent.3
The New York Metropolitan Transportation Council (NYMTC) projects a 14
percent growth in population to occur between 1995 and 2020 – a total
of almost 300,000 residents --within the seven counties of the Hudson
Valley Area.4 Overall employment in the lower Hudson Valley is expected
to increase by 27 percent during the same period.5
Commutation trips to Manhattan from Putnam County are projected to
grow by 39 percent (688 trips)6 between 1995 and 2015, followed by
Rockland County (25% or 4,660 trips) and Westchester (12% or 8,849 trips).
Intra-county travel-to-work trips are also projected to increase: Putnam is
estimated to rise by 39 percent (4,793 trips), followed by Rockland (24% or
17,306 trips) and Westchester (12% or 29,630 trips). Travel between
counties is expected to rise with the most significant growth predicted
between Orange and Rockland counties (49% or 5,094 trips).7
On Long Island, NYMTC projects population increases of 10 percent for
Nassau County and 23 percent for Suffolk County between 1995 and
2020. Employment estimates show a 62 percent decrease in
manufacturing jobs on Long Island between 1995 and 2020. Overall
employment for Long Island is expected to increase by 30 percent during
the same period.8
Between 1995 and 2015, commutation trips to Manhattan from Nassau
and Suffolk Counties are predicted to rise by 20 percent (19,000 trips) and
33 percent (14,358 trips), respectively. Over the same period, intra-county
3 NYMTC (1999) “Challenges to the Region”, p. 30.
4 The Hudson Valley Area includes Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, Orange, Rockland, Sullivan, and
Ulster Counties (the first five of these counties are served by Metro-North Railroad). NYMTC report,
p.10.
5 NYMTC “Challenges to the Region”, p. 30.
6 Trips represent an annual average of daily individual work trips (not round-trip) and include all
types of trips, ie. by car, railroad, walking, etc. Trips do not include working at home.
7 NYMTC “Challenges to the Region”, p. 10.
8 Ibid., p. 30.

6
commutation trips should increase by 15 percent (57,820 trips) in Nassau
County and by 31 percent (138,893 trips) in Suffolk County.
NYMTC also forecasts significant growth in commutation trips between
New Jersey and Long Island (14%), Long Island to Mid-Hudson (25%), and
on a more limited basis, New York City to Long Island (12%).9
Car ownership in the region has been changing significantly – rising faster
than the rate of population – a trend attributable to higher personal
incomes, increasing numbers of two-income families and the extended
time young adults choose to live at home. The trend can also be
attributed to suburban land use patterns, which have created dispersed
development and led to increasing dependence upon the private
automobile as the only travel option. This pattern can be observed in
Westchester County, which between 1980 and 1986 added 20,000
residents, but acquired 135,000 more cars among County residents as a
whole. This phenomenon also occurred during the same time period on
Long Island, which became home to 37,000 more residents in Nassau and
Suffolk Counties and 315,000 more cars among Long Island residents as a
whole.10
Increased car volumes have impacted driving patterns and roadway
levels of service and capacity. From 1980 to 1990, the number of workers
commuting alone by car within the suburbs of the New York tri-state
region increased by 373,700, while the number of workers commuting by
carpool decreased by 110,400.11 Within New York suburbs, the increase
was most prevalent on Long Island (see Table 2) resulting in average
speeds of 30 miles per hour on the Long Island Expressway during peak
periods.12
9 NYMTC (1999). “Challenges to the Region”, p. 10.
10 Ibid., p. 30.
11 Ibid., p. 30. Information is originally provided from the U.S Census.
12 Ibid., p.30. See report footnote entry for more detailed information.

7
Table 2. Comparative Data on Drive Alone to Work 1980 to 1990
Population growth and increased car volumes have also impacted
ridership and the availability of parking at the MTA commuter railroads
serving New York City. Over the past fifteen years both Metro-North
Railroad and Long Island Rail Road experienced ridership growth far
beyond projected levels. Daily ridership on the LIRR increased by 9.2
million between 1986 and 2001, while Metro-North ridership increased by
22.7 million during that same period (see Table 3).
Table 3. Ridership: Projections vs. Actual13
MTA RAILROAD
1986
RIDERSHIP
2001 PROJECTED
RIDERSHIP
2001 ACTUAL
RIDERSHIP
INCREASE
Metro-North
Railroad
50.4 million 58.6 million 73.1 million 22.7 million
Long Island
Rail Road
76.5 million 81.6 million 85.7 million 9.2 million
TOTAL 126.9 million 140.2 million 158.8 million 31.9 million
Note: 2001 Projected ridership based on MTA (1987): Strategic Planning Department: Strategic
Planning Initiative “Year One”
On Metro-North Railroad, ridership on the Hudson, Harlem and New Haven
Lines combined is projected to further increase more than 5.9 percent by
2005 and 18.3 percent by 2010. Ridership on both the Port Jervis and
Pascack Valley Lines combined is projected to grow by an additional 70
percent between 2001 and 2005. Much of this increase is expected to
come from the opening of the Secaucus Transfer Station, associated
service expansion, and continued development and growth in Orange
and Rockland Counties.14
13 MTA (1987). MTA: Strategic Planning Department: Strategic Planning Initiative “Year One”
14 Metro-North Parking Program Status Report to the Metro-North Committee of the MTA Board,
October 2002.
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1980
1990
Absolute Difference

8
On Long Island Rail Road, 2002 ridership is forecast to be 83.2 million, 2.5
million lower than in 2001, 2003 ridership is projected to grow by 1.6
percent.15 MTA’s LIRR East Side Access project has estimated a 20
percent increase in morning peak-hour ridership into Penn Station
between 1995 and 2010.16
As of 2001, the addition of 31.9 million passengers to the metropolitan rail
systems has created a demand for more parking at the 176 stations17
served by MNR and LIRR. With ridership on Long Island and Metro-North
railroads projected to grow even more, parking availability
at stations will continue to worsen. The next section outlines parking
utilization rates and parking demands at MNR and LIRR New York State
stations.
15 MTA LIRR 2003 Operating Budget, December 2002, p. 2, 17.
16 MTA Long Island Rail Road (May 2000). East Side Access Draft Environmental Impact Statement,
Executive Summary, p. S-2.
17 Of the 243 MNR and LIRR stations, 176 have parking facilities.

9
PARKING UTILIZATION AND DEMAND AT MTA RAILROAD
STATIONS
METRO-NORTH RAILROAD STATION PARKING UTILIZATION
Metro-North Railroad has a parking inventory of 34,303 spaces at 71 New
York State stations.18 Thirty-nine percent are owned or controlled by
Metro-North, and 61 percent are municipally owned. Entities responsible
for managing these spaces consist of a complex mix of Metro-North,
municipal and private operators. In 1997, Metro-North initiated a system
wide program to privatize parking operations for its spaces under its
Private Parking Operator Program. To date, management of more than
80 percent of MNR’s spaces at East of Hudson Line stations have been
transferred to a private operator.
The mix of operators managing station parking facilities has resulted in
differing management and fee strategies. While Metro-North has taken
steps to standardize management and parking fees where it owns or
controls the facilities, the strategies instituted by operators managing non
Metro-North owned or controlled facilities differ from Metro-North as well
as from one another. Of the 71 stations, nine provide free parking to rail
passengers, while the remainder offer a mix of parking permits and
metered parking. In some municipal lots, parking permits and metered
parking are available only to town residents, while other municipal, Metro-
North, and privately owned lots offer permits and metered parking
regardless of residency.
Parking fees for resident and non-resident permits and metered parking
vary tremendously. Parking fees for resident permits range from as low as
$10.00 per month in Spring Valley (Pascack Valley Line) to as high as
$250.00 per month in Bronxville (Harlem Line). Parking fees for non-resident
permits range from as low as $10.00 per month in Spring Valley to as high
as $250.00 per month in Bronxville. Daily permit fees range from $2.00 to
$8.00. Metered parking fees range from 25 cents per hour in Croton
Harmon (Hudson Line) to 60 cents per hour in Tarrytown (Hudson Line).19
At some stations, mostly on the Port Jervis and Pascack Valley Lines,
parking is free.
18 An additional 16,042 parking spaces, located at Metro-North Railroad stations in Connecticut,
are owned and or managed by Connecticut Department of Transportation. MNR is charged with
only the inventory of spaces in New York State.
19 Fees are approximate and represent rates within the past five years.

10
As of the third quarter of 2002, parking permits were not available at
roughly 31 stations (44%) and metered parking spaces were fully utilized at
34 (48%) of the 71 stations.20
Parking utilization rates at many of Metro-North stations are below full
capacity.21 While parking utilization rates at MNR owned or operated
facilities meet or exceed industry standards for effective utilization,22
parking utilization rates at many municipally owned or operated facilities
are often below full capacity. Parking permits23 are available at 28
stations (39%) and metered parking is available at 21 stations (30%). The
lower utilization rates are partially due to the means by which parking
permits are issued.
Many of the station lots managed by Metro-North, municipalities and
private operators limit the number of parking permits they sell relative to
the capacity of the lot. More permits than actual parking spaces are
issued, with the ratio of permits sold to existing spaces based upon the
observed usage pattern of a particular lot- this is referred to as “oversell”.
At Metro North owned or operated facilities, the railroad and its operators
determine the rate of permit oversell to maximize the utilization of the
particular lot. This is not the case at many municipal locations causing
those lots to be under utilized at times.
Waiting lists for permits can be as long as five years at some stations. This
practice keeps commuters from wasting time looking for a spot that does
not exist and encourages riders to use alternative means of transportation
to access the stations.
The cost of parking permits also affects parking lot utilization. At stations
where permit costs are low, lots tend to be under utilized; more people
purchase permits to support their occasional use of the railroad. More
costly permits are a greater financial investment and tend to be
purchased by a more frequent and habitual railroad ridership.
20 Metro-North Parking Program Status Report to the Metro-North Committee of the MTA Board,
October 2002.
21 Utilization rates do not include illegally parked cars.
22 Both Metro-North Railroad and Long Island Rail Road measure parking capacity according to an
85% parking utilization rate, which is the standard used and defined by the parking industry. This
means that a parking lot with a utilization rate of 85% is considered to be at full capacity.
23 Reflects stations with resident only permits as well as permits regardless of residency.

11
LONG ISLAND RAIL ROAD STATION PARKING UTILIZATION
The Long Island Rail Road has an inventory of 64,000 parking spaces at
105 stations. Twenty-four percent are owned by Long Island Rail Road, 73
percent are municipally owned and 3 percent are privately owned.
Similar to Metro-North station parking facilities, entities responsible for
managing Long Island Rail Road parking spaces consist of a complex mix
of LIRR, municipal, and private operators. As of October 2002, Long Island
Rail Road manages only 5 percent of the spaces at its stations. The
majority of station parking is managed by the municipalities (88%) with the
balance managed by private operators (7%).
Some amount of parking is provided free to rail passengers at 73 stations,
while the rest of the spaces require a mix of resident and non-resident
parking permits, or daily fees. As with Metro-North Railroad parking
facilities, LIRR station parking fees for resident permits and metered
parking vary tremendously. Monthly costs for parking at LIRR stations tend
to be lower overall than at Metro-North stations. Municipal parking fees
for resident permits at LIRR stations can be as little as $10.00 for a two year
parking permit, such as at the Syosset Station. Other operators, such as
those managing LIRR owned parking facilities charge higher rates, with
monthly fees ranging from $40.00 to $65.00 at the Lynbrook Station (Long
Beach Branch) to $105.00 at the Little Neck Station (Port Washington
Branch). Daily permit fees range from $2.00 to $6.00. Metered parking
fees range from 50 cents per day to $3.00 per day.24
Parking utilization rates at many LIRR stations are above 85%.25 Unlike
MNR, many of the station lots managed by the LIRR, municipalities and
private operators issue parking permits to anyone interested in purchasing
one, regardless of capacity. With unlimited parking permits and no fee
parking at many lots, many commuters find themselves spending up to 20
minutes in search of a parking space, resulting in missed trains and
increased commuter anxiety.
As with Metro-North, the cost of parking at the station affects utilization.
The low monthly parking fees at the Huntington Station - averaging $1.46
with a two year permit – make driving to the station an attractive and
easy option, which undermines the struggling Red and Blue Line Shuttles
operated by the Town’s Huntington Area Rapid Transit (HART). Higher
24 Fees are approximate and represent rates within the past five years.
25
Given that railroad station parking lot usage patterns are somewhat different from those at
shopping center lots, the LIRR interprets parking utilization rates of 90-95% at station lots to be over
capacity.

12
monthly and annual rates do more to encourage riders to use means
other than driving alone by car to access the station.
Fifty-six stations (53%) of Long Island Rail Road’s 105 stations have parking
facilities operating over capacity.26 Another 5 stations (5%) have parking
facilities that are full or close to full capacity levels - between 80 and 85
percent.
FUTURE DEMAND
Metro-North Railroad and Long Island Rail Road are predicting a steady
growth in ridership through 2020 along with a continued demand for more
parking.
Based on a 1997 parking study, Metro-North Railroad projected a long-
term need for an additional 11,000 -15,000 parking spaces between 2007
and 2012.27 Current parking conditions and future needs are to be
updated in 2003 to provide a revised estimate of future demand. Long
Island Rail Road projects a long-term need for an additional 18,000
parking spaces by 2010.
To address their increased demand for parking, MNR and LIRR have
pursued the problem from several perspectives: increase the supply of
parking spaces, develop new stations with parking and multi-modal
facilities, and minimize future demand for parking spaces by reducing car
usage.
Metro-North Railroad makes use of several specific strategies to address
parking demand. The Strategic Passenger Facilities Initiative is a large,
multi-faceted program to provide new parking facilities and improve
station access at strategically located multi-modal transportation hubs in
areas of future projected population growth. Metro-North has programs
to plan and develop its own surface and structured parking facilities at
train stations as well as jointly in partnership with localities and the private
sector.28
Other MNR strategies include developing satellite parking lots in
conjunction with the provision of shuttle bus and ferry services; special
26 Utilization figures reflect rates at parking facilities between 1999 and 2002.
27 Metro-North makes use of a number of variables to forecast future demand, including: ridership
changes, station diversions, drop-offs, station access, modal shifts, traffic conditions, station area
parking utilization, parking fees, and regional demographics.
28 These projects are not part of the Strategic Passenger Facilities Initiative Program.

13
parking for those who carpool to stations, station-based short term car
rental programs; and the New York Station Car Program that promotes
the use of electric cars by installing charging stations at commuter train
station lots where the vehicles are recharged for the trip home. MNR is
also piloting a new program –the Commuter Valet Parking Program at the
Goldens Bridge Station. Developed as a result of the high demand for
parking and the lack of available land within walking distance to the
Goldens Bridge Station, the Commuter Valet Parking Program provides
easy access to the station by allowing customers to drive up to the
station, give their car keys to a valet who will then park their car at a
remote location. Passengers have their car retrieved for them upon return
to the station.
The Private Operator Parking Program is another strategy used by Metro-
North Railroad to address parking demand. The Private Operator Parking
Program endeavors to improve management operations, customer
service and parking availability at existing parking facilities. The program
has improved service and increased parking supply through lot
reconfiguring and restriping, and maximized available parking by
introducing programs, such as the summer seasonal oversell program,
which re-utilizes under-used permit spaces during summer months by
allowing daily customers to use existing spaces. Although on a small
scale, this program also aids in reducing Metro-North’s reliance on capital
expenditure solutions for parking.
Long Island Rail Road strategies to address current and future parking
demand include: new parking construction projects in conjunction with
local municipalities; incorporating “Kiss and Ride” facilities, pedestrian and
ADA improvements as part of station rehabilitation projects; information
about multi-modal transportation options to access stations through
station posters and the LIRR website; and the New York Station Car
Program.
Developing “Kiss and Ride” station drop-off areas as a strategy to reduce
station parking demand was the subject of the PCAC’s 2001 report, Right
of Passage: Reducing Barriers to the Use of Public Transportation in the
MTA Region.

14
MITIGATING PARKING DEMAND: SHUTTLE BUS SERVICES
The provision of shuttle bus services to railroad stations is a strategy that
has been implemented by MNR, LIRR and other transit agencies around
the country to minimize the demand for station parking and reduce
roadway congestion by providing means for passengers to access
railroad stations other than by private car.
This section evaluates existing shuttle bus services offered to and from
Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road stations to determine factors that
make them successful or unsuccessful. Shuttle bus services to New Jersey
Transit railroad stations were included for comparative purposes.
Shuttle (or “feeder”) bus service in this study is defined as a bus route with
the primary role of transporting people to and from a railroad station.
While other types of buses - known as “long haul” – often serve railroad
stations, “long haul” bus routes serve other destinations as well and are
not specifically driven by the need to serve the railroad commuter. For
this reason, “long haul” bus service was not included in the definition of
shuttle bus service for this study.
The two most common types of shuttle bus services operated to and from
railroad facilities are: 1) commuter shuttles that operate during the
morning and evening peak periods to transport passengers from their
neighborhoods to and from a station; and 2) reverse commuter (or
“distributor”) shuttles that bring passengers from the train station to and
from their place of work. Commuter shuttle bus services reduce the need
for parking spaces at railroad stations as well as area roadway
congestion. Reverse commuter shuttle bus services reduce inter-and
intra-county roadway congestion.
This study examines the first of these two commuter shuttle bus services.
Given the report’s focus on shuttles as a strategy to reduce parking
demand, only shuttle bus services running to and from railroad stations in
the peak direction during morning and evening peak hours were
reviewed. In order to focus on the needs of railroad commuters, only
shuttle bus services with at least 75 percent of their daily ridership
transferring to the railroad were reviewed. Reverse commuter shuttle bus
service, such as shuttles to corporate office parks were not examined.
Shuttle bus services were evaluated according to nine aspects: the area’s
population density, public policy environment, fare structure, level of
ridership, route configuration and passenger travel time, type of shuttle

15
vehicle, reliability and consistency of service, rider access to information,
and marketing. These nine aspects play a crucial role in structuring shuttle
bus services to railroad stations and ultimately affect the degree to which
a bus service succeeds or fails. The importance of these aspects are
summarized below:
Area Population Density – refers to the density of an area’s residential
population measured per square mile (PSM). For the purpose of this study,
areas with less than 5,000 people per square mile were defined as low
density, areas with between 5,000 and 9,999 people per square mile were
medium density, and areas with 10,000 or more people were considered
to be high density.
Public Policy Environment – refers to the roles played by MTA, county, and
local public transportation policies and programs in encouraging,
supporting, or hindering the development and operation of shuttle bus
services.
Fare Structure – refers to the mechanism by which passenger fees for
service are structured to encourage ridership. Many shuttle bus services
receive public subsidies to reimburse operational costs and reduce
passenger fees. Eligibility for federal funding requires that the amount of
passenger revenue generated cover at least 40 percent of the costs of
service (cost recovery). This requirement plays a role in determining the
fee charged the passenger for the shuttle service, the projected level of
ridership, and the ability to compete with fees charged for monthly
parking at railroad stations.
Level of Ridership – refers to the average number of daily passengers using
a shuttle bus service. Ridership is related and often compared to an
area’s population density, the fare structure, and opportunities for cost
recovery. For the purpose of this study, a daily ridership of 50 passengers
or greater was determined to be an achievable goal within a year or two
of a new shuttle bus operation and the minimum level required to achieve
success. This level of ridership can reduce the need for approximately 25
parking spaces and generate a cost recovery ratio of between twenty-
five to thirty-five percent.
Route Configuration and Passenger Travel Time – route configuration refers
to the layout of the route used by the shuttle bus from point of origin to
end destination. The configuration of the route is related to the amount of
time passengers are willing to travel from beginning to end (passenger
travel time).

16
Type of Vehicle – refers to the type of vehicle used for transportation.
Vehicles range from small to large depending upon the type of route,
level of ridership, and route configuration.
Service Reliability and Consistency – refers to the ability of bus shuttle
services to be timely and reliable in meeting scheduled trains and in
providing a consistent level of service to passengers.
Rider Access to Information – refers to the ease of access to service
schedules and information about connections to other public and private
transportation services to enable passengers to coordinate their travel
plans. Ability to communicate service changes to riders is also included.
Marketing – refers to the means by which shuttle bus services are
advertised and packaged to encourage and increase ridership. Also
included is the extent to which these efforts are coordinated with MTA,
state, county, and local entities.
METRO-NORTH RAILROAD’S SHUTTLE BUS SERVICES
MNR has worked proactively to increase ridership and to reduce auto
usage at its stations through a number of public transit initiatives including:
the provision of shuttle bus and ferry services to the railroad, the creation
of a “UniTicket” which combines the cost of a monthly railroad pass with a
discounted monthly bus pass, and by working with county, state and local
officials.
Metro-North initiatives have resulted in 14 commuter bus shuttles to its
stations, in addition to services not included in this report; the employer-
based shuttles to White Plains, North White Plains and Tarrytown Stations,
the Haverstraw-Ossining Ferry, and the newest shuttle- the Newburgh-
Beacon-Stewart Airport Link- launched January 21, 2003. A total of seven
bus and one ferry shuttle have been added since 1998.
Metro-North Railroad has substantial collaborative working relationships
with a combination of public and private operators that run and
coordinate its shuttle services to other stations. Operators include: Atlantic
Hudson – a subsidiary of Atlantic Express- to run the Hudson Rail Link to
Riverdale and Spuyten Duyvil stations; Transport of Rockland County to run
the Tappan ZEExpress; Leprechaun Lines to run the Newburgh /Beacon
Shuttle; Dutchess County to run the Dutchess County Loop, Housatonic
Area Rapid Transit to run services from two Connecticut “Park and Ride”
lots (Ridgefield and Danbury) to Katonah and Brewster, and Westchester

17
County’s Bee Line Bus Service to run shuttle services to five stations –
Peekskill, Hartsdale, Scarsdale, Croton Falls and Larchmont.
Many counties also operate a number of “long haul” bus routes that serve
MNR stations as part of a series of stops along longer routes, such as White
Plains and Yonkers. Since the focus of this report is on shuttle services
serving railroad stations only, these “long haul” bus routes were not
considered.
The following shuttles serving Metro North rail stations were reviewed in this
report:
Hudson Rail Link-Riverdale and Spuyten Duyvil: Operated by Metro-North
the Hudson Rail Link, transports passengers on separate services from the
Riverdale and Spuyten Duyvil residential neighborhoods in the Bronx to the
Riverdale and Spuyten Duyvil Stations on the Hudson Line.
Tappan ZEExpress: Operated by Rockland County’s public transit agency,
Transport of Rockland County, the Tappan ZEExpress transports passengers
from Rockland County’s – Palisades Center and other park and ride lots,
on the west side of the Hudson River, to MNR’s Tarrytown Station on the
Hudson Line – east side of the Hudson River.
Newburgh-Beacon Shuttle: Operated by the private company
Leprechaun Lines, the Newburgh-Beacon service transports passengers
from the City of Newburgh, on the west side of the Hudson River, to MNR’s
Beacon Station on the Hudson Line - the east side of the Hudson River.
Poughkeepsie, New Hamburg and Beacon Shuttles: Operated by
Dutchess County’s public transit agency, the Dutchess County LOOP, the
Poughkeepsie, New Hamburg and Beacon Shuttles are three different
shuttle services that transport passengers to the Poughkeepsie, New
Hamburg and Beacon Stations on MNR’s Hudson Line. The Poughkeepsie
Shuttle transports passengers from the Apple Valley Shopping Center to
the Poughkeepsie Station, the New Hamburg Shuttle transports
passengers from Wappinger Falls to the Hamburg Station, and the Beacon
Shuttle transports passengers from the Route 9D- Transportation Center to
the Beacon Station.
Ridgefield-Katonah and Danbury-Brewster Shuttles: Operated by Fairfield
County, Connecticut’s Housatonic Area Rapid Transit (HART), the
Ridgefield to Katonah and Danbury to Brewster are two separate shuttle
services that transport passengers from the towns of Ridgefield and

18
Danbury in Connecticut to the Katonah and Brewster Stations,
respectively, in New York State. Both stations are on MNR’s Harlem Line.
Peekskill, Croton-Falls, Hartsdale, Scarsdale, and Larchmont Shuttles:
Operated by Westchester County’s public transit agency, the Bee-Line
Bus Service, the Peekskill, Hartsdale, Scarsdale, Larchmont, and Croton
Falls Shuttles are distinct commuter services that transport passengers to
MNR Stations during peak am and pm service: the Peekskill Station on the
Hudson Line, the Croton Falls, Hartsdale and Scarsdale Stations on the
Harlem Line, and the Larchmont Station on the New Haven Line.
The Peekskill Shuttle provides one route service to passengers from the
residential area of Peekskill. The Croton-Falls Shuttle transports passengers
from a “Park and Ride” lot in Mahopac to the Croton Falls Station. The
Hartsdale Shuttle transports passengers from three neighborhood areas
via three distinct routes to the Hartsdale Station. The Scarsdale and
Larchmont Shuttles each provide two distinct routes from neighborhoods
to the Scarsdale and Larchmont Stations.
Area Population Density
Population densities in the counties served by Metro-North Railroad
ranged from 349 people per square mile (PSM) in Dutchess County, to
26,000 PSM in the Bronx (see Table 4).
Table 4. Population Densities Per Square Mile in Counties
Served by Metro-North Railroad
COUNTY (STATE)
AREA POPULATION DENSITY
PER SQUARE MILE (PSM)
Dutchess (NY) 349
Putnam (NY) 414
Orange (NY) 418
Fairfield (CT) 1,410
Rockland (NY) 1,645
Westchester (NY) 2,133
Bronx (NY) 26,000
While an area’s population density is often considered a factor in
determining shuttle service feasibility and potential ridership, the Tappan
ZEExpress in West Nyack operates within the lowest population density per
square mile (1,126 PSM) of the areas served by Metro-North shuttle
services, and carries the highest ridership (732 daily passengers).

19
The most densely populated areas – Riverdale and Spuyten Duyvil in the
Bronx (26,000 PSM) -- had the second and third highest shuttle service
ridership on the Hudson Rail Link, with 570 daily passengers to the Spuyten
Duyvil Station and 455 daily passengers to the Riverdale Station (see
Table 5).
Table 5. Level of Ridership Compared to Area Population Density
SHUTTLE SERVICE COUNTY MNR STATION
LEVEL OF DAILY
RIDERSHIP*
AREA POPULATION
DENSITY- PSM
(TOWN)
Tappan ZEExpress
(West Nyack)
Rockland/
Westchester
Tarrytown 732
1,126
(West Nyack)
Hudson Rail Link-
Spuyten
Duyvil
Bronx Spuyten Duyvil 579
26,000
(Bronx)
Hudson Rail Link-
Riverdale
Bronx Riverdale 455
26,000
(Bronx)
Scarsdale Bee Line
Commuter
Westchester Scarsdale 170
2,685
(Scarsdale)
Danbury-Brewster Shuttle Fairfield/ Putnam Brewster 159
1,777
(Danbury)
Newburgh-Beacon
Shuttle
Orange/ Dutchess Beacon 150
7,393
(Newburgh)
Poughkeepsie Dutchess
County Loop
Dutchess Poughkeepsie 83
5,811
(Poughkeepsie)
Larchmont Bee Line
Commuter
Westchester Larchmont 81
6,073
(Larchmont)
Peekskill Bee Line
Commuter
Westchester Peekskill 71
5,189
(Peekskill)
Hartsdale Bee Line
Commuter
Westchester Hartsdale 63
3,068
(Hartsdale)
Beacon Dutchess County
Loop
Dutchess Beacon 56
2,889
(Beacon)
New Hamburg
DutchessCounty
Loop
Dutchess New Hamburg 47
5,067
(New Hamburg)
Ridgefield-Katonah
Shuttle
Fairfield/Westchester Katonah 44
686
(Katonah)
Croton Falls Bee Line
Commuter
Putnam Croton Falls 30
1,600
(Mahopac)
* With the exception of the Larchmont Bee Line Commuter Shuttle, at least 93 percent of the daily
riders transfer directly to MNR railroad service. The level of daily ridership on the Larchmont Bee
Line Commuter Shuttle reflects a 78 percent direct transfer to MNR railroad service.

20
Public Policy Environment
Westchester, Rockland, Orange, Dutchess, and Fairfield Counties29
transportation policies in the areas served by Metro-North Railroad were
examined for their focus on coordinating public and private
transportation services and information, financial and programmatic
support for expanding public transportation services, and efforts to
educate and inform the public about public transportation opportunities
within the specific county. New York City (Bronx) transportation policy
was not reviewed because of the significant amount of bus and subway
service available.
County public policies ranged from recently minimal transportation
coordination to the railroad in Rockland County to very strong public
policy in Westchester County. Although small, Orange, Dutchess and
Fairfield Counties transportation policies have grown in response to the
increased numbers of residents commuting to New York City. Table 6
shows the change in resident population between 1990 and 2000.
Table 6. Population Data 30
COUNTY (STATE) 1990 2000
% CHANGE IN
POPULATION
Putnam (NY) 83,941 95,745 14%
Orange (NY) 307,647 341,637 11%
Dutchess (NY) 259,462 280,180 8%
Rockland (NY) 265,475 286,753 8%
Fairfield (CT) 827,645 882,567 7%
Westchester (NY) 874,866 923,459 6%
In Rockland County, local transportation initiatives have not focused on
access to the railroad, since 1989, when the County sought to increase its
public transportation by insisting Metro-North Railroad provide better
service through the establishment of the Tappan ZEExpress. The more
recent Haverstraw-Ossining Ferry service was primarily a Metro-North
initiative.
Westchester County’s proactive transportation policies have been
instrumental in creating a seamless transition between public and private
transportation services. The Westchester Department of Transportation’s
29 The transportation policies of Fairfield County were reviewed because they
participated with Metro-North Railroad in developing the Danbury-Brewster Shuttle.
Since Putnam County was not actively involved in the development of the Danbury-
Brewster Shuttle, their transportation policies were not reviewed.
30 US Census 2000

21
well designed and easily accessible website incorporates all public and
private transportation options available in the County. The Westchester
Commuter Alternatives Unit’s “Smart Commute Program” is a public
outreach program that educates commuters on alternative
transportation services, helps commuters calculate commuting cost
options, and provides a newsletter that informs commuters of cost savings
measures such as the “Federal Commuter Choice Program” and
carpooling opportunities.
In western Fairfield County, Lewisboro Councilwoman Bacal spearheaded
an effort to aid the expanding number of residents commuting to New
York. The effort resulted in the creation of the Ridgefield-Katonah Shuttle -
a shared effort among HART, Metro-North Railroad, and New York and
Connecticut Departments of Transportation.
Although ridership on the Poughkeepsie, New Hamburg and Beacon
Shuttles in Dutchess County is low, Dutchess County transportation policy
shows strong support for increasing the use of public transportation to the
railroad in the County.
Metro-North management meets with County Executives, elected officials
and MTA Board members to define needs for connecting services. By
developing extensive partnerships with elected officials, NYSDOT (Region
8), transportation agencies (WCDOT, CDOT, HART, MetroPool, Transit -
Center etc.) throughout its territory, MNR, through its Service Development
Unit, has been able to create, fund, and market many of its existing
connecting services. These on-going relationships also result in MNR’s
further expanding connections to the railroad.
The genesis of the connecting services comes from a variety of directions:
state, or county requests, customer suggestions, market research or Metro-
North Railroad market surveys and analyses. Such was the case with the
formation of the Hudson Rail Link- Riverdale and Spuyten Duyvil Shuttles,
where the idea of implementing the service originated from a 1986-87
study “… to examine ways to improve ridership and utilization of the
MNR’s commuter service in the West Bronx Corridor.”31 MNR worked with
the community to determine preferred route configuration and pick-up
and drop-off locations and with NYC Department of Transportation to
locate and install signs at designated shuttle bus stops.32
31 Metro-North Railroad: The Hudson Rail Link, unreferenced document received from
David Wong, MNR Facility Planning and Parking Operations Department, p. 94.
32 Ibid, p. 96-97.

22
Fare Structure
All shuttles providing service to Metro-North Railroad offer a monthly
“UniTicket”, a reduced rate monthly ticket combining the cost of a
monthly railroad pass with a discounted monthly bus pass. Of the
fourteen shuttle systems examined, the cost of a monthly “UniTicket”
ranged between $10 for the Newburgh-Beacon Shuttle and $30 for the
Tappan ZEExpress shuttle. All shuttle services have fees that fall at or
below the cost of a monthly parking permit at the stations they serve (see
Table 7).
Table 7. Cost Comparisons of Monthly UniTicket to Monthly Parking Permit for Shuttle
Passengers
SHUTTLE SERVICE STATION
MONTHLY
PARKING PERMIT*
MONTHLY
UNITICKET
METROCARD
ACCEPTED RIDERSHIP** DENSITY
Tappan ZEExpress Tarrytown
$79.00
(Non Resident) $30 No 732 1,645
Danbury-Brewster
Shuttle Brewster
$31.25
Ridgefield-Katonah
Shuttle Katonah
$41.66
(Non Resident) $22 No 44 686
Hudson Rail Link-
Spuyten Duyvil Spuyten Duyvil None $21 Yes 579 26,000
Hudson Rail Link-
Riverdale Riverdale
$31.00
(Resident/ Non
Resident) $21 Yes 455 26,000
Scarsdale Bee Line
Commuter Scarsdale
$37.50
(Resident) $25 No 170 2,685
Larchmont Bee Line
Commuter Larchmont
$35.00
(Resident) $25 No 81 6,073
Peekskill Bee Line
Commuter Peekskill
$20.00
(Resident) $25 No 71 5,189
Hartsdale Bee Line
Commuter Hartsdale
$31.25
Croton Falls Bee Line
Commuter Croton Falls
$25.00
(Non Resident) $25 No 30 414
Poughkeepsie Dutchess
County Loop Poughkeepsie
$31.29
(Resident) $15 No 83 5,811
New Hamburg Dutchess
County Loop
New
Hamburg
$31.29
Beacon Dutchess
County Loop Beacon
$31.29
(Resident) $10 No 56 2,889
Newburgh – Beacon
Shuttle Beacon
$24.00
* Permit fees are only listed for the passengers using the shuttle.
** With the exception of the Larchmont Bee Line Commuter Shuttle, at least 93 percent of the daily

23
Level of Ridership
Ridership was highest on the Tappan ZEExpress (732 daily passengers)
due in large part to the lack of parking availability and annual expense
($950) of parking permits for non-residents at Tarrytown.
Ridership levels were low on the Croton Falls Bee Line Commuter (30),
Beacon Dutchess County Loop (34 daily passengers), Ridgefield - Katonah
HART Shuttle (44 daily passengers) and the New Hamburg Dutchess
County Loop (47 daily passengers). Poor ridership on the Croton Falls Bee
Line Commuter can be explained by railroad passengers’ preference to
make use of available on street parking, despite its distance from the train
station, over taking the shuttle. Poor ridership on the Beacon and New
Hamburg Dutchess County Loop Shuttles may be explained in part by the
previously limited service hours on the Beacon shuttle, which has now
been expanded to offer all day service, and the availability of parking at
New Hamburg.
The Ridgefield-Katonah Shuttle is a recent newcomer, with a still growing
ridership. Started in April 2002, the Ridgefield –Katonah Shuttle actually
surpassed its first year goal of 40 daily passengers by 4, effectively
exceeding its ridership projections for the first year (see Table 8).
Table 8. MNR Shuttle Service Levels of Ridership
SHUTTLE SERVICE MNR STATION RIDERSHIP**
Tappan ZEExpress Tarrytown 732
Hudson Rail Link- Spuyten Duyvil Spuyten Duyvil 579
Hudson Rail Link- Riverdale Riverdale 455
Scarsdale Bee Line Commuter Scarsdale 170
Danbury-Brewster Shuttle * Brewster 159
Newburgh-Beacon Shuttle Beacon 150
Poughkeepsie Dutchess County Loop Poughkeepsie 83
Larchmont Bee Line Commuter Larchmont 81
Peekskill Bee Line Commuter Peekskill 71
Hartsdale Bee Line Commuter Hartsdale 63
Beacon Dutchess County Loop * Beacon 56
New Hamburg Dutchess County Loop New Hamburg 47
Ridgefield-Katonah Shuttle * Katonah 44
Croton Falls Bee Line Commuter Croton Falls 30
* Service has been in operation for less than a year.
** With the exception of the Larchmont Bee Line Commuter Shuttle, at least 93 percent of the daily

24
Route Configuration and Passenger Travel Time
The shuttle bus services reviewed in this report make use of three types of
routes to transport passengers to and from Metro-North Railroad stations:
1) routes that follow arterial roads and pick-up and drop-off passengers in
“Park and Ride” lots so as to serve a number of residential locations and;
2) routes that follow arterial roads on the edge of residential
neighborhoods with specific stop locations; and 3) routes that follow local
roads through residential neighborhoods, with local pick up and drop off
stops.
The Tappan ZEExpress, Newburgh-Beacon, Croton Falls, Danbury-Brewster,
and Ridgefield-Katonah Shuttle trips originate from “Park and Ride” lots.
The Peekskill, Hartsdale, Scarsdale, and Larchmont Shuttles serve
residential neighborhoods with locally based pick-up and drop-off
locations. The Poughkeepsie, New Hamburg and Beacon shuttles serve a
mix of “Park and Ride” lots as well as limited stops within residential
neighborhoods.
The types of route configurations differ in passenger travel times and
ridership base. Interestingly, high ridership was found on the shuttles with
longer passenger travel times (30-35 minutes) as well as shuttles with
shorter travel times (10 minutes). High ridership on shuttles with longer
travel times, frequently reflected the stations parking constraints.
Illustrated in Diagram 1 below, shuttle routes that pick-up passengers
closer to their place of residence, positively influences levels of ridership.
Diagram 1. Comparison of Travel Time on Neighborhood Routes to Ridership
Ridership
579
455
170
81 71 63 47 34
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
10 10 14 11 16 16 25 20
Travel Time Minutes
#ofDailyPassengers
Ridership

25
Passengers’ decisions to use shuttle bus services with longer travel times
(30-35 minutes) may be explained as relative to the over all commute
travel time. A commuter may be more willing to travel on a 30 minute
shuttle to reach a station with frequent and express service, helping him
reach Grand Central Terminal in a total travel time of ninety minutes, than
go to a local station with hourly local service, with an overall travel time of
two hours.
Type of Vehicle
The shuttle bus services reviewed for Metro-North Railroad make use of
two types of vehicles: large traditional buses seating 50 passengers and
smaller 20-to 25-seat passenger vehicles. The larger vehicles were found
on high ridership and longer distance routes such as the Tappan
ZEExpress, while the smaller passenger vehicles were used for lower levels
of ridership and pick-ups in more residential areas.
Service Reliability and Consistency
Metro-North Railroad has developed standards to build reliability and
consistency into their connecting services establishing minimal dwell time,
ensuring that a bus is waiting at the station when customers detrain, and
locating the bus stop next to or near the platform. MNR actively monitors
and manages many services for quality control, so that they can respond
to customers in real-time through on-board announcements, seat drops or
other communication measures. Operators are also required to submit
monthly reports on levels of ridership and total “UniTicket” sales to monitor
trends in shuttle revenue and expenses.
MNR develops bus operating schedules, which are then reviewed and
refined by the operators to allow a seamless connection between the
railroad and bus. By actively facilitating the coordination of shuttle
schedules with train departure schedules, through either producing, or
helping to produce pocket schedules for all shuttles services, Metro-North
provides effective, easy to read, and seamless schedules for customers.
Changes in train schedules are given to shuttle operators well in advance
to allow adequate time to adapt shuttle schedules. Metro-North performs
market research on a regular basis, to stay abreast of customer opinions
to further improve schedules.
Metro-North Railroad has built reliability into its shuttle services with the
creation of the UniTicket and Guaranteed Ride Home (GRH) programs.

26
The GRH program allows customers who commute to Grand Central
Terminal, 125th Street or Hoboken (for Pascack Valley or Port Jervis Line
customers) to present their UniTicket at a Grand Central Terminal or
Harlem 125th Street Station ticket window and receive a voucher. This
voucher is presented to the taxi operator at a designated station and
allows the passenger to be driven home or to the nearest “Park and Ride”
lot. The voucher system can be used two times per month. The program
was originally developed for riders of the Tappan ZEExpress service who, if
they miss the last evening shuttle bus, are more or less stranded and
relegated to paying a $40 taxi fare to take them to their cars across the
Tappan Zee Bridge.
Access to Information
Shuttles serving Metro North Railroad were examined for their ease in
making information about service and schedules available and
accessible to passengers and potential passengers.
Metro-North Railroad’s website www.mta.info is well designed and
provides a wealth of easy-to-access information for passengers interested
in finding out about shuttle services to MNR stations. The MTA site receives
over 40,000 hits daily. For Metro-North riders, it functions as the primary
source of information about Metro-North Railroad. The “Stations” and
“Connections” categories provided on the Metro-North Railroad home
page lead passengers to detailed shuttle service information about
service schedules, directions to the station, parking, and all connecting
public and private transportation services. Telephone numbers and links
to other websites are provided as a resource for more extensive
information regarding the connecting services. It is through links to other
websites, such as these that Metro-North creates a more seamless system
among transportation operators.
The Westchester County Department of Transportation’s (DOT), website
www.westchestergov.com coordinates information about the Bee-Line
Peekskill, Croton Falls, Hartsdale, Scarsdale and Larchmont Shuttles, Bee-
Line “long haul” bus routes serving MNR stations (such as, White Plains and
Yonkers), and other bus services serving Westchester County. The website
is user-friendly making access to information easy to obtain. The site also
informs and educates the public on transportation opportunities in
Westchester County, such as carpools, van services, taxi services, and ride
share programs. Multiple links are provided to public and private
transportation services in the County including the Metro-North Railroad
and Bee-Line Transit Bus websites and leads to a very useful site – “Smart

27
Commute”. The Smart Commute website informs and educates
commuters about commuter travel patterns, and County plans and
efforts to control congestion and increase mobility.
Leprechaun Lines provides easy access to information about the
Newburgh –Beacon Shuttle on their website www.leprechaunlines.com.
The site provides information about the cost of a UniTicket, and a
description of the Guaranteed Ride Home program. Bus schedules
incorporate station train departure times and diagrams of shuttle pick-up
locations. The site also links to the Metro-North website for additional
railroad transportation information.
Marketing Efforts
The shuttles serving Metro-North Railroad stations are marketed in a
number of different ways. To inform the public of its bus services, MNR
actively promotes all new connecting services on the agency’s home
page, its newsletter “Mileposts”, and through its on-board and station
public address systems. MNR also aggressively markets the shuttles
through direct mail, take-ones, tollbooth handouts, newspaper and radio
ads, press releases, flyers at Metro-North stations, guide-a-rides at stations,
and free ride promotions.
LONG ISLAND RAIL ROAD’S SHUTTLE BUS SERVICES
Long Island Rail Road’s strategies to address parking demand at their
stations have primarily focused on the provision of additional parking
facilities. While the LIRR has not been as proactive as Metro-North to
reduce auto usage at their stations, local municipalities have initiated
shuttle services to LIRR stations with little success. Both the Port Washington
(1993) and Islip Shuttles (2001) were advanced with great enthusiasm to
address the needs of commuters to reach the LIRR without having to use
a car. However, a number of factors contributed to the failure of these
programs and others like them: the lack of supportive county
transportation policies; lack of competitiveness with low parking fees; poor
route configuration; and miscalculated passenger target market.
Although Long Island Rail Road has offered popular incentives like the
UniTicket, other factors influence shuttle bus survival and success – as
described earlier, density, access to information, type of vehicle, system
reliability, coordinating partners and a proactive approach to problem
solving.

28
Long Island Bus recently launched the Merrick Shuttle with the support of
Long Island Rail Road, and considered many of these factors when
developing the shuttle – the early results have been extremely favorable.
Although reducing the need for increased parking has not been a focus
of the Long Island Rail Road in the past, the Merrick Shuttle effort is a
promising start.
Three additional shuttles serve LIRR stations with a ridership of over 75
percent peak direction commuters to Long Beach, Rockville Centre and
Huntington. The shuttle bus operators serving Long Island Rail Road
include: MTA Long Island Bus serving Queens and Nassau Counties; Long
Beach Bus serving Long Beach; Suffolk Bus serving Suffolk County; and
Huntington Area Rapid Transit serving Huntington Township in Suffolk
County.
Shuttle buses also run to and from Woodbury in Nassau County and Stony
Brook in Suffolk County. These shuttle buses primarily serve a reverse
commute ridership and were not included in the review given the report’s
focus on reducing parking at railroad stations.
Bus operators in the area studied also provide many “long haul” bus
routes that serve LIRR stations as part of a series of stops along longer
routes. Since the focus of this report is on shuttle services to railroad
stations only, with a goal of meeting railroad commuter needs, these
“long haul” bus routes were not reviewed.
The following shuttles serving Long Island Rail Road rail stations were
evaluated in this report:
Merrick Shuttle: Operated by MTA Long Island Bus, the Merrick Shuttle
service transports passengers from residential neighborhoods in Merrick to
the Merrick Station on the Babylon Branch.
Rockville Centre Loop: Operated by MTA Long Island Bus, the Rockville
Centre Loop transports passengers from residential neighborhoods in
Rockville Centre to the Rockville Centre Station on the Babylon Branch.
Red and Blue Line Commuter: Operated by the Huntington Area Rapid
Transit (HART), transports passengers from residential Huntington
neighborhoods to the Huntington Station on the Port Jefferson Branch.
Long Beach Bus: Operated by the City of Long Beach, Long Beach Bus
transports passengers from residential neighborhoods in Long Beach to

29
the Long Beach Station on four routes, the East Loop, East Fulton, West
End and West Hudson routes on the Long Beach Branch.
Area Population Density
Population densities in Nassau and Suffolk Counties were reviewed in Long
Island Rail Road territory.33 The population density in Nassau County is
4,655 people per square mile (PSM) and 1,556 PSM in Suffolk County.
Density levels for municipalities within Nassau County ranged between 322
PSM in East Garden City, to 22,212 PSM in Bellerose Terrace. More than
ten Nassau municipalities have densities that exceed 10,000 PSM, making
for ample shuttle bus opportunities in the County. Density levels for
municipalities within Suffolk County ranged between 54 PSM in Derring
Harbor Village to 7,412 PSM in Lindenhurst. More than ten Suffolk
municipalities have densities that exceed 5,000 PSM.
The areas served by the four commuter shuttles to LIRR stations have
medium population densities, with the exception of higher density Long
Beach (16,595 PSM). The population density ranges for these areas are
shown in Table 9.
On Long Island, the benefits of high area population density has resulted
in a high ridership of 1,200 passengers on the Long Beach Bus shuttle
service to the LIRR Long Beach Station. However, the low ridership on the
Huntington Red and Blue Line shuttles- operating in municipalities with
medium population densities- indicates that other factors must be
considered to explain the low ridership levels.
Table 9. Ridership Compared to Density
SHUTTLE SERVICE COUNTY LIRR STATION LEVEL OF DAILY
RIDERSHIP
AREA POPULATION
DENSITY (TOWN)
Long Island Bus: N52,
N53
Nassau Merrick 50
5,423
(Merrick)
Long Island Bus: N14
Nassau
Rockville
Centre
232
7,496
(Rockville Centre)
HART: Red and Blue
Line Commuter
Suffolk Huntington 48
5,507
(Huntington)
Long Beach Bus
Nassau Long Beach 1,200
16,595
(Long Beach)
33 Queens was not reviewed in this report since there are no specific railroad station shuttles.
Regular MTA Long Island and New York City Transit bus services are available to the stations.

30
Public Policy Environment
Nassau and Suffolk County transportation policies were examined for their
focus on coordinating public and private transportation services and
information, financial and programmatic support for expanding public
transportation services, and efforts to educate and inform the public
about public transportation opportunities within the counties. Nassau and
Suffolk Counties were found to be severely lacking in all areas. Neither
county facilitates the coordination of public and private transportation
services. Financial and programmatic support for expanding public
transportation services has continued to be cut by both counties. In 2000,
Nassau County reduced its portion of funding to Long Island Bus by almost
50 percent, and Suffolk County’s budget tightening reduced 50 percent
of Suffolk County Transit’s administrative staff due to an early retirement
initiative.
The County Executives of Nassau and Suffolk have done little to publicly or
proactively encourage the use of public transportation as a means to
reduce the paralyzing congestion on Long Island. Neither county has
created programs to address congestion issues through public
transportation efforts or attempted to keep the public informed and
educated about public transportation issues.
The lack of proactive county transportation policies has severely
impacted the ability of both counties to meet the growing transportation
needs of their residents. The lack of adequate infrastructure has further
hampered the economic competitiveness of Nassau County. 34 Table 10
shows the change in population between 1990 and 2000 that has
intensified the need for alternative modes of transportation.
In April 2001, the Suffolk County Joint Executive Legislative Task Force
produced a report on transportation issues in Suffolk County. Eleven
recommendations were made with regard to mass transportation,
including enhancing the level of service of Suffolk County Transit,
providing public education on the use of the transit system, and using
marketing techniques to advise potential users about the bus system.
One of Suffolk County’s concerns was the inequity between Suffolk
County residents’ tax contributions to the MTA and the level of bus and
railroad services its residents receive in return.
34 Report by Nassau County Comptrollor on the Economic Competitiveness of Nassau County.

31
Table 10. 1990-2000 Population Increases*
Fare Structure
Among the five shuttles serving LIRR stations, the most competitive fare
option is the acceptance of the monthly unlimited ride MetroCard offered
by Long Island Bus on the Merrick and Rockville Centre Shuttles. The
MetroCards are obtainable through the LIRR Mail and Ride Program and
are accepted on both LI Bus and NYC Transit services – providing
passengers great savings on buses and subways.
None of the LIRR shuttles studied offered UniTickets that were
competitively priced relative to parking fees (see Table 11). Monthly
UniTicket fares ranged from $20 to $28, while the cost of monthly parking
ranged from no charge at Merrick and Long Beach Stations to $5.66
monthly at Rockville Centre – effectively encouraging LIRR passengers to
drive to the station rather than use the shuttle bus.
The HART Red and Blue Line Shuttles have been adversely impacted in this
regard. Since 1992, the LIRR has added approximately 300 parking
spaces at the Huntington Station, with a promise to the HART Shuttles that
the monthly parking fees would be adjusted to make the shuttles an
economically viable transportation option. While the parking fees were
increased six or seven years ago to per year- with great protest from
commuters- the parking fees of $2.50 are no competition for the monthly
HART Shuttle UniTicket. This may partially account for the decline in
ridership on the HART Shuttles of 50 percent over the last five years.
Table 11. Comparison of Monthly UniTicket to Monthly Parking
SHUTTLE SERVICE
LIRR
STATION
PARKING
UTILIZATION
RATES
UNITICKET
COST
METROCARD
ACCEPTED
MONTHLY
PARKING
PERMIT
PERMITS
ISSUED
RIDERSHIP
Long Island Bus: N52, N53 Merrick 105.20% $27.50 Yes Free Unlimited 50
Long Island Bus: N14
Rockville
Centre 97.60% $27.50 Yes $5.66 Unlimited 232
HART: Red and Blue Line
Commuter Huntington 101.00% $28.00 No $2.50 Unlimited 48
Long Beach Bus
Long
Beach 91.80% $20.00 No Free Construction 1,200
COUNTY 1990 2000 % INCREASE
Nassau 1,287,348 1,334,544 3%
Suffolk 1,321,864 1,419,369 7%

32
Level of Ridership
Ridership was highest on the Long Beach Shuttles (1,200 daily passengers).
This is due in large part to the topography of Long Beach –a narrow piece
of land with few major arteries, and a dense population (16,595 PSM).
Other factors that encourage ridership are the frequently scheduled 15-
minute timetable and limited parking at the station (to accommodate a
two-year construction project). As a result, the City of Long Beach has
successfully developed a culture of using the bus to the station.
Ridership was also high on the Rockville Centre N14, with 232 daily
passengers. The Rockville Centre route was established fifty years ago,
and has become a familiar, integrated service in the community. Bus
service is scheduled in frequent 10-15 minute intervals.
Although less than two months old, the Merrick Shuttle is showing early
signs of ridership success. The Shuttle was created by LI Bus to address the
lack of parking at the station. Since the Merrick Station does not issue
permits, or have parking fees, parking spaces are available on a first
come first serve basis, causing the lot to be filled by 7:30 am. Since
service began on November 18, the Merrick Shuttle is gaining ridership.
Ridership on the HART Blue and Red Lines continues to decline due to the
lack of competitive parking fees at the Huntington Station. Table 12 shows
the range of ridership levels for the shuttles reviewed.
Table 12. Shuttle Service Ridership
SHUTTLE SERVICE LIRR STATION RIDERSHIP
Long Island Bus: N52/N53 Merrick 50
Long Island Bus: N14 Rockville Centre 232
Commuter Huntington 48
Long Beach Bus Long Beach 1,200
Route Configuration and Passenger Travel Time
The shuttle bus services to Long Island Rail Road stations reviewed make
use of two types of routes to transport passengers to and from Long Island
Rail Road stations: 1) routes that travel inside residential neighborhoods,
with flexible pick-up and drop-off locations and; 2) routes that follow
arterial roads with designated bus stops. Unlike, MNR, none of the

33
reviewed shuttle services to LIRR stations have route configurations from
“Park and Ride” lots.
Four of the five shuttle services travel along routes on residential
neighborhood streets. The new Merrick Shuttles N52 and N53 provide two
service routes to Merrick Station, which were configured according to
areas with high densities of LIRR ridership obtained from LIRR Mail and Ride
data. The Merrick route allows commuters to hail the van from a safe
location on their block and uses two vehicles to provide more frequent
pick-up service. The routes allow commuters to be picked up and
dropped off as desired compared to designated stops on the Rockville
and Long Beach Shuttles.
The Rockville Centre N14 and HART Shuttles also travel on interior
neighborhood roads. Similar to the Merrick Shuttle the HART Shuttles offer
residential pick-up where riders can flag down vans to pick them up along
the route. In Rockville Centre, because the LIRR station is located in the
downtown area, the shuttle provides an additional destination for people.
The Long Beach Bus service travels on main arteries in Long Beach.
Two of the four shuttles have passenger travel times longer than 15
minutes (see Table 13). In areas with lower population densities, the
benefits of a shorter travel time can be seen in the ridership of the
Rockville Centre N14.
Table 13. Comparison of Shuttle Time to Ridership
SHUTTLE SERVICE LIRR STATION TIME RIDERSHIP
Long Island Bus: N14 Rockville Centre 12 232
Long Island Bus: N52/N53 Merrick 15 50
Commuter Huntington 20 48
Long Beach Bus Long Beach 20 1,200
Type of Vehicle
The shuttle bus services reviewed for Long Island Rail Road make use of
two types of vehicles: small 25-seat passenger vehicles, and large
traditional buses seating 50 passengers.
Two of the four shuttle programs use the small, commuter friendly 25-seat
passenger vehicles on neighborhood routes. The Long Beach Shuttles use
large 50-seat buses. Long Beach commuters have incorporated public

34
transportation as a preferable mode of transportation to the train station,
making the larger buses appropriate to accommodate passenger loads.
Service Reliability and Consistency
The Long Island Rail Road does not collaborate with shuttle operators on
reliability and consistency issues. Bus operators providing service to Long
Island Rail Road stations expressed the need to receive clear and timely
information from the LIRR regarding train service changes to better
coordinate their bus arrival times with train departure times. Reliability is
also not facilitated through the use of a Guaranteed Ride Home Program,
as it is at Metro-North Railroad, since these shuttle services are locally
based and don’t involve the high cost of a taxi ride home.
Only the Merrick Shuttle provided schedules that incorporated shuttle
times with train departure times to ensure that passengers arrive at the
train station in time to meet a specific train.
Access to Information
Shuttles serving Long Island Rail Road were examined for availability, and
ease of access to information regarding service and schedules, to
passengers and potential passengers.
Although much information is contained on Long Island Rail Road’s
website www.mta.info.org, it is confusing and time-consuming to obtain.
There is no option on the home page for customers who are interested in
getting to or from a railroad station to directly access information about
“connections” to the Rail Road, or specific “stations”.
While changes to the LIRR website are currently underway, station
information is available only through information about train schedules.
Too much information is offered on one page with multiple scrolling
options, which can be confusing. No information is given related to the
cost or availability of parking, or whom to call to obtain information.
Although the Merrick Shuttle is a hopeful, new option for commuters, this
great new expanded service is not identified on the websites’ home
page.
Information is also not easily available through Long Island Bus. Schedules
on LI Bus at www.mta.info.org, do not mention Long Island Rail Road, nor
are there specialized categories provided for buses serving LIRR train

35
stations. There is no direct link on the website from the bus schedules
page to the railroad schedules page. Information is organized according
to bus number rather than pick-up or destination, creating a less user-
friendly environment for the commuter.
Marketing Efforts
The Long Island Rail Road’s strongest marketing efforts were found on the
launching of the Merrick Shuttle. Long Island Rail Road developed credit
card size schedules to assist commuters in keeping the information easily
available. Information regarding the shuttle has been promoted in the
LIRR customer newsletter and on the website. Marketing efforts for other
peak direction, peak hour shuttles to Long Island Rail Road stations are
minimal.

36
NEW JERSEY TRANSIT
State of New Jersey Community Shuttle Program
In 1999, the State of New Jersey started its Community Shuttle Program.
The program initially provided shuttle buses to 19 municipalities for the
purpose of transporting commuters to New Jersey railroad stations. In
2001, New Jersey Transit awarded three-year CMAQ grants for program
operating money. The first year, up to $30,000 is allotted for operating
costs, $20,000 the second year, and $10,000 the third year, at which point
the municipalities become responsible for the costs of operating the
program. The town of Rutherford was the first active program with its 20-
passenger commuter van. By August 2002, ridership was 55 daily
passengers.
The town of Maplewood has operated a very successful shuttle bus
operation since 1996. When the program began the town was
experiencing overcrowded parking lots, with residents parking illegally
and cruising streets looking for additional parking. The town organized
volunteers to interview rail passengers to learn where they were coming
from, where they were going, what trains they took in the morning and
evening, and whether they would utilize a shuttle if it were initiated (a
system still used for developing new routes). Using this information, the
town designed a shuttle bus service.
In an endeavor which became a model for the other New Jersey Transit
communities, Maplewood received a vehicle and start-up operating
expenses from New Jersey Transit. The town now runs three shuttle routes
with only one territory not covered, but planned for the future. The
shuttles are scheduled to meet the midtown direct trains during peak
hours. The routes have between 9 and 12 stops in residential communities
and the average ride is 15 minutes. Pick-up locations are based on a
maximum walking distance of three blocks. The program’s great success
has led to a daily ridership of 480 people. An annual pass is $60.00, set
purposely at 50 percent below the annual parking permit cost. The cost
recovery of the program is roughly 35 percent. The vehicles are also used
for other municipal programs when not being used for commuter travel.

37
FACTORS OF SUCCESSFUL SHUTTLE BUS SERVICES
A successful shuttle bus service in this report was defined as having a daily
ridership of 50 passengers or greater. With the need to mitigate the
demand for parking as the goal, shuttle buses that serve 50 daily
passengers eliminate the need for roughly 25 parking spaces – a
substantial cost savings when calculated at approximately $16,000 to
$23,000 per space in a parking structure. Among the shuttle bus services
reviewed, it was also found to be an achievable goal within the first two
years of service.
The review of 26 shuttle bus services to Metro-North, Long Island Rail Road
and New Jersey Transit stations revealed ten factors that contribute to the
making of a successful service: 1) a medium to high level of area
population density; 2) a favorable county public policy environment; 3)
fares that are competitive with parking lot rates; 4) conveniently located
shuttle stops; 5) short passenger travel times - relative to a passenger’s
total commute time to end destination; 6) vehicle size tailored to the route
configuration; 7) reliable and consistent service; 8) easy access to multi-
modal travel information; (including well coordinated rail/bus schedules)
9) collaborative public-private partnerships; and 10) proactive marketing
effort.
Twenty of the 26 shuttle services reviewed had ridership levels exceeding
50 daily passengers and another two services showed promise of those
levels in the future based on less than a year of service. All of the 20
successful shuttles had at least seven of the ten factors identified for
success. The factors most frequently lacking were a favorable public
policy, competitive fare, collaborative public-private partnerships, and
proactive marketing (see Appendix, Table 14 for a breakdown of the 26
shuttles by factor).
High cost recovery ratios were not found to be a factor in the success of a
shuttle bus service. Public bus transportation cost recovery under the best
conditions in an urban environment typically ranges from forty to fifty
percent.35 In suburban communities, where local public transportation is
beginning to enter the market, many successful shuttle services
experienced cost recoveries ranging from twenty five to forty percent. As
the use of local shuttle bus services becomes more familiar in suburban
communities, cost recoveries may rise to levels closer to those of urban
areas. Given that cost recoveries under the best conditions are forty to
35 Information obtained through a conversation with Bob Campbell, MTA Long Island Bus, and data
analysis.

38
fifty percent, the forty percent cost recovery ratio required to be eligible
for federal funds is often unrealistic and we believe unwarranted,
particularly since there is no such prerequisite to obtain federal subsidies
for road building or parking lot construction.
To make up for the difference in cost recovery ratios, Metro-North monitors
new monthly commuters brought to the Railroad by the shuttles and
incorporates the railroad ticket revenue generated by the shuttle bus
riders into the cost recovery calculations for the shuttle services as well as
for the railroad. The shuttle services are seen as a way to boost railroad
ridership and reduce the need for parking. Cost recovery for the shuttles
can be calculated to be 100 percent based upon this model.
The ten factors that contribute to successful shuttle bus services are
discussed below:
A Medium to High Density Population. Shuttles that operate in areas with
medium to high population densities provide a greater pool of potential
riders from which to draw. 36 Areas with higher population densities tend
to be more urban in character and people are more accustomed to the
provision and use of many modes of public transportation.
The study found that while the presence of a medium or high population
density – a minimum of 5,000 people per square mile (PSM) - was not
required for shuttle service success, higher density levels did help
compensate for the lack of other factors. For example, the Long Beach
Shuttle has only six of the ten factors identified for success, but operates
within an area with high population density (16,595 PSM). On the other
hand, the study found that shuttle services can work in areas with lower
population densities if commuters drive to “Park and Ride” lots, which can
act to create higher density pick-up locations, and offer a seamless
transfer to the train.
A Favorable County Public Policy Environment. County transportation
policies played a vital role in initiating, shaping and supporting the
development and operation of shuttle bus services. County contributions
to the shuttle services reviewed in this study were made on many levels.
The collaborative relationships between Metro-North Railroad, Rockland
County and New York State were instrumental in the formation of the
36 For the purpose of this study, areas with less than 5,000 people per square mile were
defined as low density, areas with between 5,000 and 9,999 people per square mile were
medium density, and areas with 10,000 or more people were characterized as high
density.

39
Tappan-ZEExpress. The promotion and marketing of shuttle services on
county venues such as the www.westchestergov.com website helped
build ridership for the Bee Line Shuttles. The coordination of transportation
services and education efforts of Westchester County’s Smart Commute
Program have further facilitated citizen awareness of available services
within the County and the savings that can be achieved by using public
transportation.
While strong county public policies were found to contribute to the
success of a shuttle service, larger cities such as Long Beach, with a
density of 16,595 illustrate the capability of cities to create their own
transportation policies and develop shuttle services.
Shuttle Fares Competitive with Parking Fees. Shuttle fares that were less
than parking permit fees were found to encourage shuttle bus ridership.
This was the case with the Tappan ZEExpress where the monthly cost for
the shuttle was $53 less than the monthly cost to park in the station lot. On
the other hand, the two lowest performing shuttles studied - the Red and
Blue Line Commuter Shuttles operated by HART (Huntington) - did not offer
competitive fares for commuters. A primary reason for the decline in
ridership of the HART Shuttles was the Town of Huntington's provision of
additional parking spaces, coupled with low parking fees - effectively
eliminating the incentive to use the shuttle.
Convenient Shuttle Stops. Shuttles with routes along neighborhood streets
rather than along main arteries at neighborhood perimeters were found
to have more ridership. Shuttle operators who experimented with both
types of routes found that commuters preferred to stay within the comfort
of their own neighborhoods, such as having a shuttle bus stop within three
blocks of home. The benefits of this type of neighborhood pick up shuttle
service are twofold: ease and convenience of access; and clear visibility -
which provides passengers with a sense of security and promotes the use
of the service.
Routes that traveled on main arteries with collection points on the edge of
residential neighborhoods had three primary problems for potential
passengers: 1) commuters felt vulnerable standing on main arteries during
early morning hours, 2) the stigma of taking the bus felt more pronounced
when standing and waiting for the bus on main arteries, and 3) bus stops
were perceived to be too far away.
Shuttle routes with stops at convenient “Park and Ride” lots were found to
have higher ridership levels in outlying areas with lower density populations,

40
in towns not directly served by the railroad, and where the nearest railroad
station had insufficient parking.
Competitive Travel Times. High ridership was found on shuttles with longer
passenger travel times (30-35 minutes) as well as those with shorter travel
times (10 minutes). Shuttles with longer passenger travel times, such as the
Tappan ZEExpress, and shuttles with shorter travel times, such as the Bee
Line Larchmont and Rockville N14 shuttles, were able to achieve high
ridership levels due to their ability to compete with the time it takes to
drive and find a parking space at the station. Shuttles with frequent
service and a limited 10 to 15 minute wait time between shuttle arrival
and train departure also attracted higher ridership levels.
Relating the Vehicle Type to the Route Configuration. Higher ridership was
found on shuttle routes along neighborhood streets. Neighborhood
streets tend to be narrower and more conducive to the use of smaller
vehicles. A stigma still exists in many suburban communities against taking
the bus. The use of smaller 25-seat passenger vans can assist commuters
in overcoming their discomfort and provide convenient commuter-based
service. 37
Reliable and Consistent Service. Shuttle operators that provided reliable,
consistent on time shuttle bus services were found to have positive,
collaborative relationships with Metro-North Railroad. Such relationships
included timely provision of schedule changes by the railroad to the
shuttle operator to allow for shuttle service schedule changes. Metro-
North actively coordinates shuttle operator schedules with train
timetables, and requires shuttle schedules to contain both shuttle arrival
times and train departure times. On-time performance is also monitored
by Metro-North through monthly reports from the operators to ensure
reliable service is provided to the railroad.
Easy Access to Multi-Modal Travel Information. Well designed websites
with transportation service and schedule information that provide multiple
links to other connecting modes of transportation were found to be an
important source and easy way for passengers and potential passengers
to access travel information. The MTA website is a good example of this
as it receives over 40,000 hits daily and 280,000 hits weekly. The ease with
which passengers can access information about multiple modes of
transportation helps customers to feel more comfortable about making
the transition between subway, bus, railroad and shuttle bus services.
37 Expressed by some commuters as part of a conversation about shuttle bus services at a LIRRCC
meeting, July 2002.

41
Poorly designed websites, deter use of the system and translate into lost
ridership.
Collaborative Public-Private Partnerships. Multiple partner structures that
included a mix of federal, state, county, local and private partners enable
greater coordination among multi-modal transportation services. Metro-
North has worked collaboratively with communities on the shuttles they
have created. This was the case in the Newburgh Shuttle, where Metro-
North, the town of Newburgh, and New York State collaborated with the
private operator, Leprechaun Lines, to develop a viable shuttle service.
Proactive Marketing Effort. Shuttles that are activly marketed were found
to have higher ridership. This was the case with HART’s Danbury-Brewster
Shuttle, where the collaborating partners, Metro-North, HART and the local
Councilwoman, created a multifaceted marketing strategy for the new
service. The three coordinating partners actively marketed the new
connecting service through press releases and news articles. The
marketing program also informed local community groups of the new
shuttle opportunities. As part of the marketing strategy, Metro-North
provided information about the new shuttle on their website’s home page
including a full description of the service on its “Connections” page and a
direct link to the HART home page.

42
RECOMMENDATIONS
The following recommendations are provided to mitigate the projected
need for parking at Metro-North Railroad and Long Island Rail Road
stations by facilitating the development and improvement of shuttle bus
services to stations. Grouped according to the agencies responsible for
implementation - the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), Metro-
North Railroad, and Long Island Rail Road – the recommendations
endeavor to improve multi-modal transportation access at all stations.
Recommendations focus on opportunities to advocate for shuttle bus to
railroad service, improve access to stations, and modify parking policies in
concert with localities. Other recommendations aim to create working
partnerships between the MTA agencies, counties, municipalities, and bus
operators; educate the public about access to rail station issues; solicit
community input; provide community technical assistance; and increase
public access to travel information.
METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY
As the umbrella agency, with direct links to Albany, the MTA has the ability
to promote and advocate for the use of shuttle bus services as a short
and long term strategy to mitigate parking demand within its own
agencies as well as within its service territory. This priority should be
extended to the division of MTA Railroads once the restructuring of the
MTA takes place. The MTA should also coordinate and support
collaborative planning efforts between Metro-North and Long Island
railroads, and Long Island Bus to ensure the sharing of information and
resources to achieve long-term success.
Make Shuttle to Railroad Service a Preferred Strategy. The MTA must make
the development of shuttle bus services to railroad stations an agency
and MTA region strategy by undertaking, coordinating and supporting the
following efforts:
• Building political and financial support in Albany and Washington
D.C. for improving access to railroads as part of multi-modal
transportation funding, such as the upcoming TEA-3 legislation,
among other efforts.
• Working proactively with County Executives in the MTA region to
develop transportation plans and policies that reduce the need for
parking, improve access to the railroads, and support the

43
development of alternative modes of transportation to stations by
shuttle bus, carpooling, walking, and bicycles;
• Advocating for and encouraging the development of regional
smart growth land use plans that incorporate transit-friendly
development, reduce parking needs, and increase access to the
railroads;
Increasing public awareness and use of local public transportation
in the MTA region and providing technical assistance to counties,
when needed, to help them improve service links among
transportation providers;
Encouraging counties in the MTA region to develop websites that
provide information about and maps of countywide, multi-modal
public and private transportation services;
Encouraging MTA contracted transportation operators to develop
detailed websites that include scheduling, cost information, route
maps, and links to other transportation providers; and
Continuing to improve the MTA website by integrating links to the
schedules and information on public and private transportation
providers with service connecting to MTA railroad stations.
Create an Interagency Working Group. The MTA should create an
interagency working group made up of members of Metro-North and
Long Island railroads and Long Island Bus to share successes and discuss
strategies for implementing expanded shuttle services.
Solicit Input from Communities. The MTA should actively solicit input and
information from communities regarding the creation of expanded shuttle
bus services. To do this they should:
Use the MTA website to obtain community requests for shuttle
service;
Develop a database to store information about communities
interested in shuttle bus services and alternative means of station
access;
Meet with county officials and bus providers to discuss opportunities
for expanded shuttle bus services; and
Meet with local officials and participate in public forums to promote
the development of local plans for improved station access,
including expanded shuttle bus services.

44
METRO-NORTH RAILROAD
Continue to Improve Station Access. Building upon its accomplishments
to date, Metro-North Railroad should continue to increase its efforts to
improve access to its stations and reduce parking needs through the
expansion of shuttle bus services. Shuttle services should continue to be
considered within the context of pedestrian, bicycle, “Kiss and Ride” and
other smart growth, transit-friendly land use approaches. The planning
strategy should include:
Continuing to expand the provision of shuttle services to more train
stations;
Continuing to encourage and work with municipalities to improve
sidewalks and pedestrian crosswalks to motivate riders to walk to
train stations;
Increasing the provision of bicycle racks and lockers at stations and
working with municipalities on dedicated bike routes and pathways
to the stations;
Continuing to increase and improve “Kiss and Ride” drop off
locations in the vicinity of stations;
Continuing to encourage municipalities to adopt zoning and smart
growth land use plans that increase retail and residential
development adjacent to rail stations; and
Continuing to expand and identify potential shopping mall and
church parking lots for use as “Park and Ride” locations for
weekday shuttle bus riders in areas with low population densities,
but high MNR ridership.
Continue to Work with Municipalities to Modify Station Parking Policies. The
MNR should continue to develop parking strategies and policies in
conjunction with municipalities to encourage passengers to use
alternative means of transportation to the station, where possible, through
pricing incentives that favor daily, weekly, and monthly shuttle bus fees
over station parking.
Create a Working Group with Westchester County Bee Line Bus. The MNR
should create a working group with Westchester County Bee Line Bus to
identify locations and develop plans for expanding shuttle services. Tasks
for the working group should include:
Identifying stations with over-utilized parking lots and projected
parking demand that could benefit from shuttle services to reduce
parking need;

45
Identifying a potential market of riders for new shuttle services
based upon Mail and Ride data and;
Soliciting input from local municipalities about potential shuttle bus
route configuration and operation.
Continue to Provide Technical Assistance to Counties and Municipalities.
The MNR should continue to actively support counties and municipalities
interested in improving station access by:
Providing Mail and Ride and marketing survey data;
Assisting counties served by Metro-North in developing
transportation plans and policies to improve access to the
Railroad and;
Facilitating and supporting local transportation plans and initiatives
to improve access to stations while reducing parking demand.
Augment the MNR Website. The MNR website provides a good
opportunity to elicit information from passengers and potential passengers
about the need for shuttle bus services. This could be done by providing a
page for website visitors to submit suggestions or requests for community
shuttle services.
LONG ISLAND RAIL ROAD
Improve Access to the Rail Road. It is important that Long Island Rail Road
create a long range planning strategy to reduce parking demand by
improving access to the Rail Road, which includes the expansion of shuttle
bus services. Shuttle services should be considered within the context of
pedestrian, bicycle, “Kiss and Ride” and other smart growth, transit-
friendly land use approaches. The planning strategy should include:
Expanding the provision of shuttle services to more train stations;
Encouraging and working with municipalities to improve sidewalks
and pedestrian crosswalks to motivate riders to walk to train
stations;
Continuing LIRR’s provision of bicycle racks and lockers at stations
and working with municipalities on dedicated bike routes and
pathways to the stations;
Increasing and improving “Kiss and Ride” drop-off locations in the
vicinity of stations;
Encouraging municipalities to adopt zoning and smart growth land
use plans that increase retail and residential development adjacent
to rail stations; and

2002-Youve-Got-Connections

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